woodyworldhistoryfandomcom-20200214-history
Weapons that revolutionized warfare
Some might say that the first revolutionary weapon was a rock, but in truth it was most likely the land around the first people. For example, in Canada the is a national heritage site called Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Rock which, as self explanatory as could be, was where the natives would drive herds of buffalo off of the cliff, and then collect and eat the carcasses. Then came the rock. Soon wooden spears and slings were being used. The sling was a especially important because it gave a person the ability to hit targets at long ranges, possibly breaking bone or killing if in hit the head, accuratly without expending too much energy. There was the added bonus that you could virtually never run out of ammo. About 30,000 years ago, the atlatl first appeared in Europe ( about 12,000 years ago was when it appeared in North America). The Atlatl is a type of spear-thrower that was used by taking a dart (approximentaly 3 to 4 feet long) and fitting it into the top end of of the throwing stick (which had either a rounded point in which you would fit into a indention at the end of the dart, or have a steep but rounded indention at top end where you fit the dart, which was pointed but rounded). You would hold the throwing stick with the pinkie, ring and middle finger while holding the dart between your trigger finger and thumb. Then you reach back and throw. As you throw, once your arm has almost become fully extended, you let go of the dart (but not the thrower) and then follow through by whipping the throwing stick until it is vertical in your hand. During the copper age, there was the invention of the Bow and Arrow. This was a huge thing because not only was it a treasure for hunters but warriors preferred it to a spear because it was less cumbersome, you could carry more arrows than spears, it was more accurate, it needed less raw materials, and (depending on the pull weight of the bow and the kind of bow) it can reach farther distances and taller heights than the spear. Back then there was two kinds of bows, each of which varied based on the respective ecosystems that the different people used the different types of bows in. The two kinds were the Long Bow, and Recurve Bow. Long Bow- The long bow was usually the height of the person using it, which gave the person a fuller draw, usually to the jaw line. It had some advantages to the recurve bows mainly it was lighter, quicker to prepare to shoot with and it was quieter. Recurve Bow- The recurve bow has a almost startling difference compared to other bows, it curves back from the archer, almost looking like a handle bar mustache. It has one advantage over the long bow, and that is that it takes less energy to pull a recurve bow than a long bow of the same weight. While it gives more power at first, the arrow will drop rapidly after a distance. Then things changed again when the Hyksos invaded Ancient Egypt. They brought with them Iron Weapons and even more importantly they brought with them Chariots. Chariots are most likely the most important inventions of the century. Chariots are, in their simplest form, a basket that has an opening in the back and is mounted on a one axle and two wheels and is pulled by a team of horses, usually two to four, it can hold up to two people plus a driver and gear. The chariot is a critical advance in war technology mainly because it was the first in mobile artillery. With two warriors in with the driver, one usually a spearman or swordsman and one usually a bowman, they had the ability to move quickly around the battle field while also providing the artillery support that one would get from a lone archer while have the mobility, since most archers of that time wouldn't have the ability to hit a fast moving target making return fire extremely difficult for most if not all enemy archers, and the swordsman to protect him if they ever get enemy soldier close to the chariot.